The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1887-08-04
spend a night at st. Johns. as he sat in

l
the bar-room of the hotel where he
stopped, toe conversation turned upon
wrestling. Joe, being an entire stranger
to the company collected. sat listening
to the conversation without participant
ing much i'll it. At length one indi-
vidual, after relating several wonder
full feats which he had accomplished,
finally wound up by roundly asserting
that he had thrown Joe Call Joe, as
might readily be supposed, was not
little surprised at this assertion from
an entire stranger and, in that spirit of
fun which always prompted him, ex-
claimed: 'Why, you'd swallow COM
mon man! should like to take hold
of you myself, if you would promise
not to hurt me-" The braggadocio in
stantly accepted the proposition, and
they took hold. Joe, with scarcely an
effort, raised him from the floor and,
holding him out at arms length,
said to him: "There. wrestler The
astonished wrestler could only cry:
"Who-who the deuce are youP' The
man you threw, Joe Call, at your serv-
ice, sir!'
But the most remarkable feat which
Joe ever performed was on the occasion
OF an incidental wrestling match, which
occurred between himself and another
individual, during the late war, at
Plattsburgh. It seems that in the
British camp was celebrated English
bully whose massive strength and great
skill, both as pugilist and wrestler,
made him the terror as well as cham
pion OF the army. Joe happening one
day to be in the English camp on some
errand or other, it was soon noised
about, and some of the officers by
chance getting wind OF it, and also
hearing of his great strength, deter
mined to bring about match between
this Yankee Hercules and their bully.
Accordingly, having brought them to-
gesher, it was proposed to Joe that they
should have ''set to-" But Joe, who
was anything but quarrelsome, and
whose natural nobility of character
placed him altogether sbove any thing
of the kind, peremptorily declined the
match. asserting at the same time that
he presumed the Englishman would
throw him with the greatest ease, as
he professed no skill whatever. To this
the bully sneeringly replied that he could
not only throw him, but any other cursed
Yankee they would bring on. This fling
at the Yankees nettled Joe at once, for,
although conscious of his own strength,
he cared little what taunts might be
applied to his own person, yet when his
nation came to be the object Of such
remarks, his blood boiled at once, and
he determined, right or wrong, to show
the sneeriug bully that Yankee prowess
was not to be lightly esteemed. Yield
ing to his patriotic feelings he immedi-
ately announced his willingness, and
they ''took hold" The first trial was
at what is termed ''arms' length" and
Joe soon found that his antagonist was
no ''carpet knight" to be handled in
the gingerly manner with which it had
been his wont to treat his opponents of
the ring. At the first onset Joe was
brought to his knee. Immediately
springing up, he confessed himself
fairly ''filed,' and then requested that
they should take trial at back-hold.
To this the bully assented. We have
often heard Joe say that previous to
this time he never could discover any
difference in the strength of men; but
that now he felt he must exert all his
power. Seizing hold of his antagonist
he bowed himself with all his strength
and squeezed the vain hoaster to his
breast. The Englishman gave one
shrek, his arms loosed their hold, his
whole frame quivered, and when Joe
released him from his grasp the bully
fell. with eyes protruding and blood
gushing from his nostrils, dead at his
feet!-C Chicago Herald.